Driving mechanism



(NO'MOdel.)

. No. 498,936. -PatemedJune 6,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

JEANNOT W. KENEVEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRIVING MECHANISNI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,936, dated June 6,1893.

Application filed September 5, 1892. Serial No. 445,052. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JEANNOT W. KENEVEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Driving Mechanisms, of whichthe following is a specification.

Myinvention relates, primarily, to the class of driving mechanisminvolving an annular wheel in and against the inner surface of which isconfined a rotary wheel which, by its rotation, drives the annularwheel; and my object is to provide improved driving means for the innerWheel.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of myimproved mechanism, showing it duplicated in the form in which it isbest adapted for application to the front and rear trucks of a car. Fig.2 is a broken longitudinal section showing details of the mechanism, thesection being taken at the line 2 on Fig. 3 and viewed as indicated bythe arrow; and Fig. 3 is a broken view of a section taken at the line 3on Fig. l and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

A is a wheel, of any desired form and material, confined on the base ofthe inner surface of an annulus B, rotating at its outer periphery on asupport, the inner wheel being driven to rotate by suitable mechanism,such as that hereinafter described, whereby in the rotation of thewheelA its frictional bearing against the outer annulus, supported onits foundation C (as the ground, a railroad-track, or anti-frictionwheels, or other suitable support) will tend to advance the wheel A inthe direction of rotating it, and thus cause it to climb the innersurface of the annulus from about the point a: to about the point and,by the consequent progression-strain it exerts, revolve the annulus onits support.

To prevent slipping the inner wheel may be provided with a peripheraltonguet to enter a circumferential groove t in the annulus B, or thetongue and groove may be supplanted by cog-teeth; or any other suitablemeans may, if required, be employed for pre venting the slippingreferred to. Further more, to hold the wheel A down to its work againstthe resistance it has to overcome, or against any strain of itsdriving-mechanism tending to raise it, I provide a retainer G shown as atriangular yoke r supported on the axis q through the medium of a collarr and carrying at its upper corners anti-friction rollers p fittingagainst coincident parts of the inner surface of the annulus. Otherforms of the retainer may, however, be employed for the purpose ofconfining the inner wheel against its seat, though the yoke andanti-friction roller construction is desirable as not interfering in anyWay with the action of the Wheel A.

For driving the wheel A I may employ a worm-shaf t D,the wormD of whichengages aWorm-Wheel E secured on the axle q; and the shaft D is drivenbya suitable (say electric) motor, indicated at F, applied to it.

For use in producing the locomotion of cars and other Vehicles, it isdesirable that the driving power be applied both to the front and rearaxles of the wheels A. This I accomplish by the construction illustratedin the drawings and of which the following is a description: The frontand rearaxles q carrying the wheels A, each within a wheel or annulus B,are each provided with a worin-wheel E; and the shaft D is j ournaled inbearings pat its opposite ends on the axles q and has a worm D near eachend to engage its respective worm wheel, whereby the motor F, byrotating the shaft D, exerts its power on both axles q. To avoid anytendency to binding or buckling in the shaft D (as would be occasionedby turning the vehicle supported by the axles, or by a car turning on acurve), I render it flexible. As shown the desired exibility in alateral direction of the shaftD is attained by forming it in sectionsand pivotally connecting the intermediate section o at its extremitieswith the end-sections n, at which the shaft is journaled, by means ofpivot-pins m in bifurcated heads -m on theinner ends of theshaftsections n, and heads Z fastened on the ends of the intermediateshaft-section o and having extensions Z fastened to the pivot-bolts m.Thus when either axle is turned out of parallel relation with the otherthe flexible joints in the shaft D avoid any resistance to such turningwhile they do not affect the rotation of the driving-shaft; and thisflexible gearing-mechanism for the axles q is advantageous Whether ornot the wheels B be provided about the wheels A.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure B and their' drive-Wheels Aconfined against by Letters'Patent, isand engaging their inner surfaces,means for l. In combination with an annular Wheel driving the Wheels A,comprising a flexible B and its drive-Wheel A confined against androtary shaft; D geared at its opposite ends to I 5 5 engaging the innersurface of the annular the adjacent axes of the drive-Wheels, and aWheel, driving means for the Wheel A commotor F'applied to theshaft,substantially as prising a Worm-Wheel 0n the drive-Wheel axis,described.

a rotary shaft having a Worm engaging the JEANNOT W. KENEVEL.Worm-Wheel, and a motor on the shaft, sub- In presence of- 10 stantiallyas described. J. W. DYREFORTH,

2. In combination with the annularwlleels W. N. WILLIAMS.

